Haining World Championships – Sep. 09

Teams are arriving in Haining City daily ahead of the World Championship start on September 18 – just 9 days away. Skaters from New Zealand, China Taipei, Korea and Colombia can be seen around town, and at the track (interestingly, a first-floor facility above a shopping mall) training between sessions by local club groups.
Small groups of workmen put the finishing touches on the track, while a much larger group has now finished the skating surface at the nearby road venue – the facility itself still unfinished and the Chinese home team the only ones to have been permitted a practice session on it so far.
180km away in Shanghai airport teams from Italy, USA and Australia will arrive today as officially scheduled practices are due to begin tomorrow at the track – which in it’s first floor location and with barriers up against the wall on 3 of it’s 4-sides is sure to feel like an indoor skating rink to many skaters.